Here’s The Biggest Problems With Agriculture and What Needs To Change To Feed 10 Billion On a Hotter Planet

Christine Gould | Thought For Food

We hear about problems like climate change, poverty and malnutrition all the time in the media. But what if I told you that there is an overlying problem which contributes to each of the three problems I just listed? That overlying problem is agriculture.  

 Agriculture affects every industry on the planet, and is the most important sector in the world. It sustains humans (food) and provides billions of people with a livelihood.   

But agriculture is also damages the environment, contributing to climate change and lacking to provide food for close to one billion people worldwide. Why is this happening? It’s simple - agriculture is a failed system. It is outdated and needs to change.   

We currently use 33% of land worldwide to grow food for animals. We currently use 70% of global freshwater for agriculture. Currently, close to 15% of global greenhouse gases is due to agriculture. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems with agriculture. There are so many, and each problem in ag directly effects (or even causes) other global problems like malnutrition.   

So in this episode we talk with Christine Gould, a global thought leader, food innovator and founder of Thought For Food about the massive problems in our agricultural system, and what needs to change to feed 10 billion people on a hotter planet.